


Oh, Simple Thing, Where Have You Gone?

by ShinyGreenApple



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Ending, Babysitter Ben Solo, Family Fluff, Fluff, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Protective Ben Solo, Slice of Life, Soft Ben Solo, The Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinyGreenApple/pseuds/ShinyGreenApple
Summary: Ben takes up the mantle of babysitter, whether Hux likes it or not. A slice-of-life story involving Ben Solo and the twin children of Armitage Hux and Rose Tico.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Ben Solo & Original Character(s), Ben Solo & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 65





	Oh, Simple Thing, Where Have You Gone?

**Author's Note:**

> Going off that bit from "Last Shot" when a kitchen droid nearly ended a tiny Ben Solo before he had a chance to tie his shoes, let alone become Kylo Ren.

While life had been infinitely less stressful for him since putting the name ‘Kylo Ren’ behind him, Ben Solo still had not quite adjusted to being normal. As normal as someone like him could be expected to be, anyways. He did have quite an extraordinary story, if one was talented enough to coax it from him, but he did not like to tell it. On this particular day, he found himself a bit restless; Rey had gone to the local junk market, as she did every weekend. Normally he would go with her, but today he hadn’t felt like being in the midst of bustle. He frowned a bit as he stepped into their front yard, observing the quiet before him. A few chickens pecked about here and there, digging at the ground with gusto and enthusiasm, unbothered by his presence as he strode past them, in spite of the fact that he regularly chose several at a time to end up on his dinner table. His eyes went to a particularly showy one and he furrowed his brows – this was not one of theirs and must have escaped from the coop next door. He sighed, striding over to the trespasser and scooping it up in one hand.

“I should eat you,” he said to it, still frowning, holding it at eye level. “Serve Hux right for having fancy damn chickens. But you could just as easily be one of Rose’s pets, so I’d better not. I am gonna take you back home, though. Stupid bird.”

He sighed wearily, plodding across his yard to Hux and Rose’s fussy picket fence and returning the offending chicken to its home. Hux’s speeder was not in the hangar. He made to turn back when he heard giggling and squealing coming from inside and his frown deepened.

“Rose? You in there? I put your stupid chicken back, next time I see it, I’m putting it in soup,” he called out teasingly. She would respond to talk of eating her chickens the same way Hux would have if someone joked about eating Millicent. There was no reply, but the sound of tiny voices still carried through the slightly open windows and across the yard to him. He stepped over the picket fence with ease and trudged through the yard until he came to the front door, giving it a tentative but hearty knock.

“Rose? Hux? Everything okay?”

A droid suddenly appeared in the doorway, giving him a stiff, apologetic nod and an awkward curtsy. “I am TL-48. Master Hux and Miss Rose are not available right now, is there something I can assist you with?”

“They left Zeek and Aggie with _you_?” he sneered.

“I assure you, I am quite capable of – ”

“Let me in.”

“Of course.”

The nanny droid had barely opened the door when Ben shouldered his way in, eyes scanning the room almost frantically.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“Yeah, yeah _you_ , that’s what’s wrong. I can’t believe they left them with _you._ ”

“Caring for the children is my sole purpose in life, again I assure you, they are quite safe.”

“I assure you, they’re not,” he scowled, darting towards the kitchen, where Aggie had been making a valiant (and impressive, he had to admit) attempt to climb onto the counter. He got there just in time to catch her as she inevitably slipped and went tumbling into the reach of his arms.

She was entirely unfazed at his sudden appearance, merely putting her arms around his neck and pointing at the container she’d been reaching for.

“Uncle Ben, cookie.”

“Yeah, yeah, cookie, whatever, here ya go.” He used his free hand to open the container and dig out a handful of them, turning to frown at the droid again.

“Safe, huh? She almost just cracked her head open on the floor and you also let a person in the house that once tried to kill her father. Well, once that he knows about. Good job.”

“Sir, you needn’t – ”

The droid’s voice was cut off suddenly, Ben’s frown now turned to unfiltered anger that was most definitely directed at the droid itself. “ _You_ needn’t. Your services won’t be required today, switch off.”

“Sir! It is against my protocol to shut off when I’ve been ordered to care for the – ”

“I’ll care for them. Are you new?”

“Only arrived last week, sir, yes.”

“Hm. I’ll let Rose know she needs to reprogram you.”

“That’s quite unnecessary. Any work done unless there is obvious damage would void my warranty – _GLRK_!” TL’s voice cut off with an unpleasant electronic clank and her eyes flashed once, twice, before shuttering off completely.

“Oops, looks like there’s obvious damage now, guess she’ll have to fix you after all.”

Aggie giggled, pressing her face against his chest. “Tee-El sleep.” She pointed at her father’s new droid, now slumped in the corner of the kitchen, void of life.

“Yep, ‘Tee-El sleep',” Ben nodded, satisfied. “Fuckin’ tin can. Where’s your brother?” he asked, turning to look at her. She had Hux’s exact shade of hair, fiery and shiny and thick, with Rose’s dark eyes and smooth complexion.

“Watchin’ holo,” she replied, taking another cookie from Ben’s hand and putting it in his mouth.

“Holo, huh? Sounds like a plan, why don’t we go join him?” he smiled, talking around the cookie.

“Fuckin’ tin can.”

Ben froze as he turned to the source of the voice, slowly letting his gaze drop to the small figure now standing in front of him. Except for the dark hair, it was the spitting image of Hux in miniature, bright green eyes going mischievously between Ben and the incapacitated droid.

“Don’t say that!” Ben hissed, frowning again.

“Fuckin’ tin can!” Zeek parroted, louder now, before darting back into the living room and diving onto the couch.

“ _Shit_ ,” Ben muttered, following after him.

“Shit!” Aggie squealed, snatching yet another cookie and cramming it into her mouth.

“No, stop,” Ben groaned, wondering for a moment if this was actually harder than trying to juggle commanding Ren’s knights, commanding (or co-commanding) a star destroyer, and struggling to meet his master’s approval.

Then again, Snoke had never given him cookies.

* * *

Hux and Rose arrived home not quite two hours later, the former reaching the door first, immediately perturbed that his new droid had not been at the door to meet him and give him a report of how the morning had gone. His annoyance only grew when he took in the sight before him – Ben Solo sat on his sofa, looking bored but relaxed, eyes slightly glassy and trained onto the holoscreen. Zeek sat snuggled in his lap, blinking sleepily, while his twin sister sat beside them, cuddled against Ben’s torso. She grasped one big hand in her tiny one, the fingers of her other hand twirling absentmindedly into her copper hair.

“Solo, what’s the meaning of all this? How did you get in? Where’s my droid?”

“Shh, sh, hang on, need to find out how this ends. A-ha, I knew it. I knew that little rat had to be the one behind all that, didn’t you, guys?” Ben glanced down at the kids.

Aggie gave him a grin and a nod before wriggling away to wrap herself around Hux’s leg. “Daddy. Luff you.”

Hux’s scowl relaxed noticeably, his hand going fondly to her red head. “I love you, too, darling. Go and find Mum, yeah?”

“ ‘Kay.”

  
  


Hux fought a smile as he watched her thunder off in search of Rose before turning back to his neighbor and ex-rival. “Answer me, Solo.”

“Yeah . . .” Ben began, stretching where he sat. “The ‘meaning’, you could say, is – you screwed up. I got in here because your precious droid _let_ me in. Said droid is in the kitchen, I think it might be broken.”

“Fuckin’ tin can,” the boy grinned up at him.

“Zeek, _no_ , we talked about this”, Ben groaned again. He avoided looking at Hux, knowing that the expression of pure hatred and indignation he was sure to be wearing would only make him laugh and escalate the issue. He kept his eyes glued to the holo, pretending to be enamored with the fizzy drink ad splashing across the screen with obnoxious characters and music. “Your kids really are awful, Hux, you know that?”

  
  


The former warlord took several loud, deliberate steps into the room, grabbing a remote and shutting off his holo, standing directly in front of his intruder and fixing him with an icy, frustrated glare. “ _Why_ , Ben? Why must you continue to antagonize me all these years later? I have tried, and I’ve tried, and I’ve tried my-- ” he shook his head, eyes squeezed shut – “my very _damndest_ to make peace with you, to put the past behind us both. _Why_ are you like this?” The last sentence had been given in a raised voice, Hux’s face blotchy with anger and yet looking like he was fighting tears at the same time.

“Hux?” Rose’s voice came softly. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, Aggie in her arms. “Did you know she can climb onto the counter? I only just caught her in time.”

“That makes two of us,” Ben nodded. “Can’t say as much for your droid. At least it didn’t try to slice their necks like my parents’ one did.” He stared at Hux, accusatory.

“You were raised by droids?” Hux asked quietly, his face going slack with realization.

Ben merely stared at him for a few beats, his expression unreadable, but Hux had known him for long enough to glean plenty from it, just the same, guilt and empathy creeping onto him as he watched this man, once such an unbridled, ungentle menace, smooth Zeek’s hair down with one of his enormous hands.

“Ben, I – ”

“Look,” Ben replied softly, setting Zeek on his feet and straightening his clothes. “To say we’ve had our differences is an understatement, but just,” he licked his lips, sighing and fixing Hux with a pleading look, “Rey and I are always here for the kids if you need us. They deserve better than that thing,” he pointed towards the kitchen.

Hux nodded in solemn, humble defeat before letting a smirk creep onto his face. “You broke Tee-El? She didn’t come cheap, you know.”

“I’ll pay for her,” Ben smiled. “Only on the account you get rid of her. Or better yet, program her to keep your damn chickens in your yard. Next time I see one of those fancy shits, it’s going in my oven. You like roast chicken, dontcha, kid?” he grinned at Zeek.

“Fancy shits,” the boy replied.

* * *

“Oh, sorry,” Ben winced, levitating two cups down in front of the twins.

  
  


“For what?” Rose asked, puzzled, toeing the door closed behind her as she brought groceries in.

“Hux hates it when I use the Force in front of the kids,” he shrugged, taking some of her bags from her.

“I think he probably hates it when he catches them trying to imitate you,” she winked. “Don’t sweat it, Ben. You’ve stopped cursing so much in front of them, that’s good enough for me. They adore you, you know.”

“Oh. That’s nice, I guess.” He smiled fondly at Zeek and Aggie before helping her put the groceries away. “At least someone likes me.”

“I like you,” she rolled her eyes. “A lot of people like you now. Even Hux, believe it or not.”

Several moments went by and he did not reply, leading her to turn and look at him. “Ben, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just . . . Hux is gonna be mad.”

“Why, did you break something again?”

“No,” he shook his head innocently. “It’s just . . . uh. Here, watch. Can you do that again, Zeek?”

Rose turned around just in time to see her son frantically shaking his head.

“Aww, c’mon,” Ben coaxed gently. “Show your Mom?”

“She’ll get angry.”

“She won’t,” Ben smiled, putting a hand on the four year old’s shoulder. “Mine wasn’t when I did it the first time, and your Mom’s an awful lot like her.”

Before Rose had a chance to realize she was holding back tears at being compared to Leia, Ben had placed a dinner roll in the center of the table, waiting with bated breath as he watched Zeek reach for it; it zoomed into his grasp.

Rose’s mouth fell open in a shocked grin. “Oh, _no way_!”

Zeek smiled sheepishly, cheeks going red as he took a bite of his bread.

“Yeah, I’m totally gonna get blamed for this,” Ben muttered quietly, unable to stop the stupid, proud grin tugging at his lips.

“You are,” Rose nodded. “Not that it wouldn’t have manifested eventually, regardless.” She looked up at him slyly. “He’ll get over it. He always does. Argatha doesn’t seem bothered. Do you think she also . . .?”

  
  


Ben nodded slowly, still watching the kids eat and converse with one another. “Probably. Like Mom and Luke.”

Rose worried at her bottom lip just a bit. “You and Rey and Finn, you’ll teach them? I don’t know anything about . . . any of this.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied, pulling her against him. “But hey, look at me. They’ll still need you guys to be their parents. Just to be normal, do boring, normal family things. Promise me you’ll give them that?”

“After the life I’ve had, the life it looks like I’m going to have with these two, I think I can stand to have some ‘boring’” she nodded.

“Good,” he smiled. “I didn’t really have that and well, you know how that turned out. I should get going, I think it’s best if I’m not here when Hux . . . finds out. It’ll be better coming from you – or them.”

“You’re probably right,” she nodded, leaning in to hug him tightly.

He gave her one last squeeze before heading for the door.

“Uncle Ben, wait!” He instinctively sank to one knee when he saw Aggie running towards him, arms stretched out.

“Uncle Ben’s gotta go, kid. Rey’s coming back from Coruscant tonight, I’m gonna take her to dinner.”

She threw her small arms around his neck and whispered, “I have a secret. I can do it, too.”

“Do what?” he whispered back.

“ _It_.” She put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Don’t tell Daddy. I’m gonna surprise him.”

“I can’t wait to hear how he likes it,” Ben nodded, winking at Rose as he stood to his feet again. “May the Force be with you. You’re gonna need it.”

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I like to write fluffy things. I hope you all like this! ♥


End file.
